Follow the Dim Light
by Kurien
Summary: Naruto was born with the eyes and hair of the Uzumaki, however left and neglected by the Third for longer than he intended. When a furious Uzumaki turns up to the gates wielding a doujutsu not seen since before the Shodai, what havoc will be wrought? No pairings as of yet. Fuuinjutsu!Naruto, AU, Intelligent!Naruto
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Author's Note:** I do not own Naruto, if I did, well, let's not go on about how Madara wouldn't be so well... Hitting them for a... wait for it... six? Yes I had to go there!

This is my first Naruto based fanfiction, and I'm going with putting this prologue up to get a feel for how you guys like it so far and for some suggestions on plot, etc. This is relatively unedited, so fire away with corrections!

11/2/14: Edited to include paragraph spacing, and to alter the last paragraph.

* * *

**Konoha: Red Light District**

Follow the dimly lit, cobbled alleyway, down to the left, cross the intersection with dusty half-light intersecting to give a brief reprieve; then into the darkness again, as sanity disappears, as fleeting as the half-light of a temporary decision a few scant moments ago.

Crimson red hair, obscured by dirt, grime and the filth of abuse flew in the hurried wind created by its owner, a young street urchin, homeless and desperate at the tender age of six.  
The boy ran for all that his unshaped, directionless life was worth. Feet scrabbling for precious purchase on the cold, slippery stone beneath him, as caring as the elderly bystanders that glared, wishing death with their gazes, as he urgently scanned ahead with his own violet eyes.

The reason, you ask? The cause of the sudden rush for life? Our dear boy was fleeing frantically from his certain death by a collection of the lowest of the low: the perpetual drunks, the deranged, the simple and capable alike, however joined by the most vexing of them all: shinobi. It was from this cluster of scum and villainy that the young redhead scrabbled around the corner, however this time his feet did not find purchase, but instead found thin air as his small body found the unforgiving cobble.

Suddenly, on the wavering edges of his consciousness, he felt a presence coming towards him, nay, not the collective hive that threatened to overwhelm his own tiny spark, but a roar, powerful and strong like the fire from an open forge, bellowing in complete rage.  
"**Katon: Karyū Endan!**" (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet) The voice bellowed, echoing endlessly, however drowned out completely by the crushing roar that the fire technique created, as the dragon-like flame hungrily surged forth, cremating the mob live, in an instant.

The darkness waxed again, leaving the boy to sweet, beautiful unconsciousness.

* * *

**Konoha: Hospital**

The smell came first. Devoid of feeling, caring, race or creed. It smelled of a sterile desire.  
_'Great._' The redhead thought. '_What did I- Oh._' He didn't need to remember what happened in order for him to arrive at the hospital once more, this time with less bandages and scrapes, he idly noted.  
As if at the edges of his mind, he felt an odd buzzing, and then as time passed, he felt a strong presence, and the more he tried to follow it, the more it felt familiar, as if-

The door abruptly opened, causing the boy to sit bolt upright, fists clutching the sheets, so hard his knuckles were white, refusing to face the man who had reduced his attackers to ashes, lest he do the same to him, as well. Who knew, he might've been on the wrong end of one of the various retaliatory pranks he'd pulled.  
"Are you feeling better, young man?" The voice queried, not unkindly, though hesitant. It carried none of the rage from the previous night. This caused the redhead to turn, albeit slowly.  
"You're the man from last night." He thought out loud.  
In response, a soft, hearty chuckle came from the man, whom he now turned fully to scrutinise. Below average height, around 5" 8' or so, with spiky, short grey hair that included the respectable goatee, however wearing a full red kimono, tied with a white sash, and covered with a white haori. It was these things that slowly made the boy's eyes widen in recognition.

"What're you doing here?" He demanded in shock. What would the Hokage want with him? Was it the prank against the grocery store that kicked him out?  
"Now, no need for that." He said, slowly walking over. "May I join you?" He requested, indicating the end of the bed.  
The redhead numbly nodded, still unsure of where this was going, fearing a disciplinary talk from the Hokage, who simply looked him in his violet eyes, and asked, "Naruto-kun, do you know who I am?"

The now named Naruto furrowed his brows at the man. "How do you know my name? All I have is that name, the name the orphanage hag threw at me along with others as she kicked me out. You're the Hokage, of course I know who _you are_."  
The man's eyes steeled over briefly, before kindly looking at Naruto.  
"My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the Yondaime Hokage entrusted me to look after you, but it's a fine job I've done so far, isn't it? Now while I can't do much, as I'm running an entire village, I can do a fair few things to make your life easier. You'll now be living in an apartment of your very own, where someone will take care of your basic needs. And although you're far too young to learn, well, I have no choice. Naruto-kun, do you want to become a shinobi?"  
Naruto's violet eyes widened in shock, but slowly calm, then determination, and lastly a fiery passion crossed his features.

"Yes, I want to prove that I'm better than I'm seen as. That I'm my own person. Eventually, I want to find my family, if they're around anymore. Actually…" Naruto trailed off. "Do you know who my parents are, Hokage-sama?" He queried, his eyes watching the Hokage intently, unconsciously leaking some chakra.  
Hiruzen's eyes widened, although this was for a different reason. _This chakra, it's almost pure Uzumaki!_  
"Naruto-kun, there's something I must deal with, however I'll be back shortly. Just please remain here until I get back, okay? I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." The Sandaime reassured the young boy, and upon getting a timid nod, he whirled around on the balls of his feet and vanished in a silent, seal-less shunshin.

* * *

**Konoha: Gates**

Meanwhile, a tenacious youth was wreaking havoc at the gates of Konoha, restraining some shinobi, sending others flying, unleashing fire, water and wind jutsu everywhere. The trouble was, all of this he was accomplishing with efficient ease, often whipping through handseals at a blur, and other times slapping his hands on the ground, only to imprison groups of shinobi within the black spidery fuuinjutsu that spewed forth from the contact points.

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen landed before the youth, and levelled his full KI at him, accompanied with a glare that could send armies quivering back to whence they came.  
This young man instead returned his glare with a doujutsu he hadn't seen since the time of the Shodai Hokage, and accompanied with other traits that he was sure had died out.

Shoulder-length, relatively unruly dark crimson red hair bound back in a leather tie, with two jaw-length bangs framed his rather angular, unmarked face, however it was the shining green eyes with a pattern eerily similar, yet crucially different to the Sharingan that unnerved him so. The pupil was slitted, and the tomoe were inverted, however as there were three, he assumed it to be fully matured, as it would be in an Uchiha counterpart. _The Ryuuringan, predecessor to the modern doujutsu we have today.  
_  
Clearing his throat and straightening his posture, Hiruzen assessed the boy further. _He can form seal matrixes flawlessly with just his chakra and extremely quickly too. His fuuinjutsu skills must be far above even Jiraiya's abilities for him to even use them properly with that method. He's avoided the projectiles of an entire squadron of shinobi ranging from chuunin to jounin rather easily, but that could be because of his doujutsu. Although his chakra levels, damn, they're close to mine! I'm immediately assuming him to be a high A-rank threat. However, why is he even here? Could he really be-?_

"I am the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. Who are you, and why are you attacking our village? Answer, on pain of death!" He ordered tersely.  
The young man seemed to assess him in kind. _Sandaime Hokage. Said to have known all Fire and Earth ninjutsu in the village, known as 'the Professor' and the second 'God of Shinobi', uses Fire and Earth elements in conjunction, capable of solo performing collaboration ninjutsu. Wielder of the monkey summoning contract; high S-rank threat._

"My name is Uzumaki Rikuto. I am a travelling warrior monk from the far northern Fire temple. I demand to know why I was immediately attacked upon nearing the village and attempted to be brought into subjugation!" The now identified Rikuto snapped, his eyes blazing.  
Upon hearing of Rikuto's surname, however, Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Ah, so you really are an Uzumaki then, if that show of chakra abuse and fuuinjutsu wasn't to be believed. I wasn't informed either of your existence nor coming here, although if that messenger bird that just arrived is anything to go by, I'll soon get my answers. Stand down and come with me, young man." Hiruzen said, turning his back and walking back into the village.

Rikuto, however, took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, and deactivated his doujutsu, leaving clear violet eyes in place of the piercing green.  
Clapping his hands together and emitting a short, staccato series of chakra pulses, he walked away, not bothering to witness his seal arrays breaking down and fading as a result.


	2. Chapter 2: Tell Me About Yourself

**Author's Note:** I'm just going to say that this disclaimer applies to ALL CHAPTERS AND CONTENT of this story: I do not claim to own Naruto, aside from wanting some credit for the Uzumaki style sealing techniques I use here.

I tried to push out some more content for you all this time around, with a longer chapter. Don't expect me to update so frequently! At the moment I'm designing a website, working as a waiter and a kitchen hand, amongst other things.

However, that aside, I appreciate all feedback, aside from mindless whining. That, I'll firmly ignore. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, heralded as the third 'God of Shinobi', stared down an impassive, yet visibly irritated Uzumaki shinobi, but to little effect.  
"Young man, start by telling me about yourself. Everything that you know." Hiruzen gestured to the seat in front of his desk, which the redhead took without a word.  
After being seated, he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.  
"It would be easier to show you, Hokage-dono. If I may?" He asked, without opening his eyes.  
"Do you intend to use genjutsu?" Hiruzen asked with an arched eyebrow. Upon seeing an affirmative nod, Hiruzen rubbed his temples. Allowing the shinobi to cast a genjutsu on him would be foolhardy to the extreme, but given his glaringly obvious Uzumaki heritage, and the equally obvious chakra reserves this boy was boasting, the best he could possibly do was perhaps a B-rank genjutsu, which Hiruzen was sure he could flick off.

"I give you permission to use genjutsu to illustrate your story, and only for that sole purpose. Any other action will be taken as an offensive action and will be retaliated against as such."  
The redhead nodded slowly, and opened his eyes, to reveal the Ryuuringan, spinning lazily.

Immediately, Hiruzen felt his surroundings change dramatically, making him reach for his concealed kunai holster, but halted his reaction when he realised that the young Uzumaki was still standing before him, although his eyes no longer showed his doujutsu.  
"Welcome to my genjutsu, Hokage-dono. Here, I control everything, although I'm still working on the time delay. Currently, every 1 second that passes in the real world is 5 seconds in here. I aim to eliminate that restriction. However, I digress. My name is Uzumaki Rikuto, cousin to Uzumaki Kushina, and Clan Heir. My doujutsu… It was inherited from several generations ago, however what caused it to manifest, no one knows. I am one of what was 2 children, of whom both inherited the _Ryuuringan_. Before I get ahead of myself, I must explain the doujutsu. It has four stages; similar to the Sharingan, and is the same until the third tomoe, which serves as the 'Mangekyo', so to speak. The fourth… I have no idea what it is, but my eyes feel incomplete, so I must assume that there is a final stage that I have yet to unlock. As for what my brother has to do with this… The third tomoe brings a whole new level of visual prowess; including a unique style of the Uchiha counterpart; Tsukuyomi, which I am currently using, albeit incredibly boosting the power and speed of existing abilities. It also enables me to see tenketsu, although it takes a few seconds for this to work, due to my eyes not being the specialised Byakugan, and as such I lack all other abilities of the doujutsu. As with the Mangekyou Sharingan, every use of my eyes would result in deterioration of my eyesight. When we were both very small, my brother contracted a fatal disease, and soon perished. Fearing the worst, they removed his eyes shortly before they became infected, and transplanted them into my own body, without me being told until I'd unlocked the Mangekyou, which I did by being informed of this. I believed that it was somehow my fault, and thus suffered the mental breakdown that triggered my third stage. Once this had happened, I was soon knocked unconscious and my original eyes re-transplanted. My brother's eyes are safely kept in a secure location to this day." Rikuto closed his eyes, and in a rare show of emotion thus far, his features softened in grief. "I often wonder what he would have been like. We were identical twins, thus ensuring his eyes would be a perfect match. It seems even the Uzumaki have a hunger for power, even if misguided by good intentions."

Hiruzen took a moment to process this information. He knew all about the Uchiha doujutsu, thanks to Itachi detailing it in full, a scant few days ago, ahead of a coup d'état that was soon to be planned by his clan.  
But this information was a whole new kettle of fish. The origins of the doujutsu were a complete mystery, as he was a pure-blooded Uzumaki, and even Clan Heir! Wait-

"Did you say 'clan heir' earlier, Rikuto-kun?" Hiruzen asked sharply.  
The Uzumaki opened his eyes in confusion. "Yes, I did. Why?"  
"Because here in Konoha, Uzumaki Mito was responsible for the Uzumaki Clan having a seat here on the Shinobi Council. How old are you, if I may ask?" Hiruzen explained.  
Rikuto thought for a moment. "I was born around 10 years after Kushina, Hokage-dono. My birth was not necessarily celebrated, due to the clan's near extinction. I would estimate that I am around 20 years old. Do you intend for me to take up this seat? If so, I want to set up the clan once more. Actually…" The redhead stopped for a moment, and his eyes seemed to take on an ethereal glow.  
"I can feel the potent chakra of an Uzumaki, rather close by. This is good, the clan is set to be reunited once more. It is my dream, Hokage-dono, to assemble my brethren and provide a safe haven from persecution, abuse and being targeted for our abilities." Rikuto's eyes narrowed during his speech, but soon he relaxed and took on a powerful aura towards the end, where his dream was laid out.

"Then once I process your shinobi forms, I'll approve your Uzumaki relations and assign you as Clan Head. We have our next meeting…" He trailed off, flicking through some paperwork to find a slim black book. Flipping through the Meeting Register, he found a page, read it and snapped it shut.  
"Our next meeting is in three days' time. That's more than enough to get you started. Actually, Rikuto-kun, would you mind giving me an overview of your abilities?" Hiruzen inclined his head to the side.  
Rikuto smirked. "Oh, you can't find that out the hard way, can you? Not getting too cramped over there, jiji?" The last comment caused a tick mark to appear on the Sandaime's forehead, before he made a snap decision.  
"Alright you little shit. Training Ground 35, right now!" He barked, appearing in a shunshin behind Rikuto in his battle armour, leaving his Hokage robe to flutter and settle on his seat.  
"Wha-?" Rikuto blurted, before being whisked away to the training ground in Hiruzen's shunshin.

* * *

Now at Training Ground 35, a wide, open clearing with some forested areas and a modest lake, all in all a generic training ground, save for the fact that it was bordered with chakra suppressant, barrier and reabsorption seals. Rikuto glanced at them and whistled.  
"Not bad at all." He remarked, before turning to a still grumpy Third.  
"So, you wanna go? Let's do this the easy way! Category #1: Taijutsu!" Rikuto cawed, before flying at the Third in a flurry of kicks and well-timed jabs, aimed at softer points on the body, like the armpits, stomach, thighs and the like.  
Pivoting his weight on his left leg, and flooding it with chakra, he shot his leg into a kick, billowing with chakra that took the form of ethereal flame, which the Sandaime saw coming and ducked, kicking out at Rikuto's midsection, causing him to switch legs, re-route his augmenting chakra to his new axe kick, which shattered the ground underneath, leaving a modest crater where the Sandaime had been crouching in a kick.  
Appearing from behind in a silent shunshin, the Third engaged Rikuto in a blur of hand-to-hand combat, which after a while, resulted in Rikuto being on the defensive, and getting worse. Deciding that he'd shown enough, he leapt back and caught his breath.

"Not too shabby for an 'old man', huh, you little pipsqueak? I'm the God of Shinobi!" He growled, eyeing the redhead suspiciously.  
Before he could say any more, three ANBU agents had their tantō blades at his jugular, spine and stomach.  
The Hokage silently applauded them for their speed of attack, but cursed them for their poor response time. "ANBU, stand down. I'm personally assessing the last known survivor of the Uzumaki clan outside of Konohagakure. Move aside." He barked, and the agents disappeared.

"Where were we? Oh, that's right. Category #2: Genjutsu!" He smiled, and it split his face, then his head, and suddenly the rift tore his body apart, resulting in a emerald green dragon, easily the size of the Kyuubi, that spat out a liquid green jet of fire at the Third, who dispelled the impressive illusion with a violent snap of chakra, only to find the impulsive redhead to be gone.

'_Up, left, right, behind… Below!_' He thought, immediately jumping up, only to be impaled through the leg as he tried to twist mid-air by a glowing green chakra chain.  
_'So he has the same ability as Kushina-chan then. Makes sense, seeing as they are related._'  
Whipping through a couple of hand seals in a blur, he roared, "**Katon: Karyū Endan!**" (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet) and levelled the area with near white-hot flames, showing his mastery of the Fire Release.

The Third blinked. They were standing still, perfectly as they were, albeit with Rikuto's Ryuuringan eyes slowly coming out of their spin.  
"Did you like that, Hokage-dono? My doujutsu, when active, refines my chakra control to the point where double-layered genjutsu are possible. That was my only creation, at this point, however the chakra chains, well, yes I can use them." Rikuto offhandedly explained, but then grinned. For those that knew Uzumaki, it was terrifying. A shit eating grin that promised doom and destruction.

"Category #3: Ninjutsu!" Rikuto cried with glee, holding the Horse seal, and stopped to call out the name of his technique: "**Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!**" (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation) and released a great torrent of flame from his mouth, while guiding it with a half Ram seal beside his mouth.  
When the flames had cleared, however, there was nothing but scorched earth and lumps of ash where there were trees had stood in the wake of his S-rank Fire Release.

"That's coming out of your first paycheck, you idiot." Hiruzen growled as he stepped out from a relatively unharmed tree.  
"Oh? Is that so? **Raiton: Jibashi!**" (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder) Rikuto hissed, whipping through hand seals in a moment and then with a wave of his hand, sent several powerful shocks of lightning at the Third, who whipped up a **Doton: Doryuuheki** (Earth Release: Mud Wall) in time to take the attack, although it crumbled due to the elemental advantage that Rikuto's technique held. Not to waste time, Hiruzen then fired off his own offense: again whipping through handseals in a blur he cried, "**Doton: Doryuudan!**" (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet) and no sooner had he completed that technique, did he fly through more seals, and called out, "**Katon: Karyuudan!**" (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet) to ignite the Earth Dragon, resulting in a molten dragon roaring at a stunned Rikuto.  
'_He can perform collaboration ninjutsu on his own of this level? I knew he could do solo collaboration techniques, but not of this power!_' Rikuto frantically thought. '_Should I use this? I suppose he'd find out about it anyway._'

Now starting through a chain of specific handseals to the Uzumaki Clan, Rikuto murmured the names of the handseals as he went, stopping with the Serpent seal.  
"**Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu-Ryuu: Tentō Torigaa Kekkai!**" (Uzumaki Sealing Style: Reverse Trigger Barrier) Rikuto cried, slapping both hands on the ground, and inky black fuuinjutsu formulae spewed forth from the points of contact, branching out into two points that converged, overlapped and stopped, with the Uzumaki spiral in the middle.

When the collaboration ninjutsu approached the barrier, it did something strange. Amid a sudden flurry of flames, light and incredible chakra presence, a thin membrane of shimmering light appeared out of the ground, sustained by the two prongs of the seal matrix that Rikuto created on the ground, absorbing the ninjutsu that Hiruzen had thrown at him.

Hiruzen stood, grounded with shock. Here, this 20 year old young man had just performed one of the most feared techniques the Uzumaki had; a technique capable of redirecting even up to S-rank ninjutsu, simply by absorbing the chakra, analysing the construct, and then using the chakra of the jutsu to recreate it, this time encoded with the chakra signature of the seal master. The rightfully feared Reverse Trigger Barrier, only activated by foreign ninjutsu, able to be placed and left as a trap mechanism, hence the name.

Rikuto, whilst panting, now clapped his hands together, hissing, "**Kai!**" (Release) and the seal complied, spewing out the jutsu right back at Hiruzen, who had to dodge in a shunshin to avoid it. The chakra for the technique spent, the seal simply faded away, leaving a panting, tired Uzumaki.  
"There's… There's a reason that Sensei forbid me from using that technique unless I really had to… Wow, it's incredible, to tax even _my_ reserves like that…" He panted, taking in valuable oxygen, and already feeling his reserves recover.  
"I… guess that covers the last Category, Category #4: Fuuinjutsu." Rikuto muttered, standing up and dusting off his outfit, which consisted of black shinobi sandals, black ANBU-style pants that had green motifs around the ankles, a dagger strapped to each thigh, two pouches on his lower back, a dark green undershirt that was obscured by a black muscle shirt with light chainmail through it, and a black haori, with green slits adorning the base, and the Uzumaki spiral in white on his back. Behind this, however, was also a wakizashi strapped to his back.

Rikuto turned to a passive Hiruzen, who spoke up. "You did marvellous, Rikuto-kun. I'm awarding you with the rank of Tokubetsu Jōnin, as you will be on probation for six months and monitored closely. Any inferior rank would be an insult."

Rikuto nodded in understanding, and then bowed at the waist. "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. My services are the village's now."  
Hiruzen smiled at that, and motioned for him to follow. "Come, Rikuto-kun. You're not getting out of your own paperwork, now."  
Rikuto, however just groaned. "The monks used to get me to do most of their paperwork, purely because of my sealing skills, and thus perfect handwriting. I hate paperwork!" He whined petulantly, disappearing in a shunshin in time with the Hokage.

* * *

"Wait, so tell me that again? The _civilians_ can do that? With all due respect Hokage-sama, you're an idiot." Rikuto frowned, with his arms crossed crankily.  
"No one side of the council should hold this much power. This is because of the finances that you had to direct from their coffers, isn't it? You're the Hokage, man! Well, at least now my paperwork is through, and as of the next council meeting I'm the next Clan Head, you'll have a fair bit more political power, at least. My Clan was very influential, no? Being the wife of the Shodai would not have harmed Mito's seat." Rikuto murmured, eyeing the set of documents that initiated him into the village system, registered him as a tokubetsu jōnin, and then as the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan.  
"That reminds me, Hokage-sama. That chakra signature I sensed earlier of the Uzumaki. Explain him to me now, and don't leave anything out. This I can demand, as Clan Head." Rikuto stared Hiruzen in the eye, firm.

The latter sighed, and activated the room's privacy seals, evident by the now slightly muffled sounds.  
"The following information is classified as an S-rank secret, and only being disclosed to you by clan rights. Even though Uzumaki Naruto is not formally in your clan yet according to the village law, that will be processed momentarily so the delay is of no consequence.  
He was born on the 10th of October, six years ago, to Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, making him your 3rd cousin or so. During childbirth, a masked man, who we believe to be a rogue Uchiha, broke through the barrier, three teams of ANBU, murdered my dear wife, Biwako and her assistant, broke the seal and threatened his life so that Minato would save him, giving him the opportunity to take control of the Kyuubi with Sharingan-induced genjutsu. He then proceeded to attack the village with it, and in the end, Minato broke his control over the beast, but ended up having to use Naruto as a container for the bijuu sealing. I watched as the Kyuubi, in a last ditch effort at freedom, tried to impale the baby on his claw, but Minato and Kushina jumped in the way, saving Naruto. Minato then sealed the Yin half of the fox within himself, and within Naruto, the Yang half. Shortly, they both died, leaving Naruto the orphaned Sandaime Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Due to his obvious Uzumaki heritage, I had to keep him in a low profile, purely for his safety, and that I couldn't take care of him personally, due to my duties as Hokage. The civilians see him as the Kyuubi in human form, probably not helped by his red hair. I trust you wish to take him in?" Hiruzen slowly explained, lighting and smoking his pipe as relief.

"Of course I fucking want to! That hero has been living a life of hell because you want "to protect him" and because "of your duties as Hokage", really? What fucking shit are you on? Do you realise what danger you're putting the villagers in? Or, far more importantly, Naruto? He's six, you old coot! As Clan Head, I request that you call a council meeting today! I don't care, I'm going to find my cousin that you neglected, you asshole!" Rikuto swore, rising as quickly as his temper, leaking veritable amounts of green chakra, swirling around him like a shroud, and unconsciously activating his Ryuuringan, which was spinning furiously.  
All that, gone in a moment as he disappeared in a shunshin, following his sensory abilities, honing in on Naruto's chakra, which was in a building that Rikuto identified as the hospital.

Not caring for etiquette, he barged in the front door, and strode over to the receptionist. "Hello, tokubetsu jōnin Uzumaki Rikuto here, I wish to see Uzumaki Naruto."  
The receptionist's features immediately darkened upon hearing his name. "Why would you want to see the de-" The woman's voice stopped immediately after Rikuto levelled his KI right at her.  
"Want to finish that sentence, you ignorant slut? If you do, the Hokage is going to have to clean your remains off the wall behind you. Now. Where. Is. He?" Rikuto ground out in staccato, slowly rising the level of his KI until the woman nearly passed out.  
"L- Le- Level 3, r- room 345." She managed, before she did just that and her head hit the desk with a dull _thud_.  
Rikuto stormed off, cursing loudly and flipping off those who stared at him.

* * *

Naruto was having a good deal of trouble working out what got Hokage-sama so flustered. When people deigned to speak to him, and when they spoke about Sandaime-sama, they spoke of him as fearless and composed. What he had seen earlier was surprise and he had _felt_ the Third's touch of fear.  
And now, there was a monstrous presence headed his way. He could feel the powerful anger swirling and raging beneath a tenuous stretch of control. Upon closer inspection in his mind, he could feel that the anger wasn't directed at him, but rather at everything around the presence. But, it also felt very, very familiar, like he knew this person…  
Suddenly, the presence drew near, threw open the door and…

Rikuto reached the door marked 4-345 and threw it open to reveal his cousin, sitting in the bed and looking demurely frightened at the sudden intrusion, but didn't startle.  
As he regarded his cousin, his features softened and he whispered, "Uzumaki Naruto… I've finally found my clan!" He wept, and held Naruto close to him.

'_My clan… He's just like me, his hair, his eyes, and his chakra… His chakra is so powerful, yet so warm and soft at the same time… This…. Is this family..?_' Naruto mused, before returning the hug.


	3. Chapter 3: We're a Clan now!

**Author's Note:** See Disclaimer on Chapter 2.

This chapter involves some bonding time with Naruto and Rikuto, and the dreaded Council Meeting. I'm sort of modelling Rikuto's character after my own, so he's fairly easy to write. Naruto, however, I'm still not sure on. I want him to have his exuberance from canon, but still give him the ability to concentrate and not have the attention span of a goldfish. Whilst he inherited many Uzumaki traits in this story, I want him to have still inherited traits from his father, namely his intellect and playful sides too.

This one is a bit shorter, but the next one will be significantly longer if my brewing ideas have anything to do with it. I think starting from next chapter my updates will be far less frequent, but you'll get more bang for your buck- I mean, wait. Still works, right?

As always, fire away with any suggestions, criticism or just any feedback you want to give me. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

After sensing that Naruto was feeling quite awkward, Rikuto released him and sat back further on the bed, not that his cousin's scrawny frame took up much space.

At this thought, he frowned. '_He shouldn't be nearly this malnourished! Not even a regular set of meals, I'll bet. Well, there's time to fix that, he's still young._'

"Well, I think I'd better introduce myself, yeah? I got a little caught up in the moment!" Rikuto chuckled sheepishly. "My name is Uzumaki Rikuto, and I'm your mother's cousin, and so yours, too."

At this, Naruto's eyes widened in shock.  
"Wait, you know my mother? What was she like? What about my father? Do I have a family? Did they love me?" The normally shy boy was abundant with questions that seemed to well and flow from deep within himself, the part that he resolutely ignored as it obviously was useless to him.

Rikuto's eyes softened and he looked down. "I can tell you about your mother, but until you can protect yourself, it's best not to say who your father was. Yes, your parents loved you dearly, and I met your mother once, she was the most boisterous, lively person I've ever met. She was also the most caring person I've met, too. She was a wonderful person. Now, before you ask anything else…" Rikuto trailed off, forming a long chain of hand seals, before getting up and placing his hand on the wall, issuing several pulses of seal matrixes, forming a complex privacy barrier. He then pulled a scroll and a kunai from his pouches.  
"Naruto-kun, do you know about the basic and most common use of fuuinjutsu?" Rikuto asked, looking at Naruto intently.

Quivering a little under the intense scrutiny, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, you can seal items in scrolls and carry them around with you."  
Apparently satisfied, he then touched the scroll and issued forth a basic sealing array from the touch. "When you're as advanced as I am, you can create seals just with your chakra, in an instant."  
Naruto looked on in awe. "Mister… Why are you showing me this?" He queried, suddenly unsure of where this was going.  
Rikuto chuckled. "Patience." He chastised, moving to place the kunai over the sealing array, and then with a pulse of chakra, the kunai disappeared within the array.

"Now, Naruto-kun, is the scroll now a kunai? Is it metal, or sharp in any way?" Rikuto stared at Naruto, obviously expecting an equally obvious answer.  
The boy cocked his head to the side. "Of course not. It's just sealed inside." He replied, as if stating that the sky was blue.  
"What do you know of the Kyuubi, then?" Rikuto followed, not stopping with the questions, seemingly eager to push to a point.  
Here, Naruto frowned. "It was killed by the Yondaime, six years ago, on my birthday. I think it has more than what is told, though. Why else does everyone hate me? I don't know what it is that I've even done!" He clutched at the bed sheets so hard his knuckles went white. A drop of moisture stained the sheet he was grasping so hard, and the next thing he could feel was Rikuto's warm embrace again.

"Naruto-kun, this is going to be hard to hear, but look at that scroll. The bijuu, such as the Kyuubi, are coalesced forms of massive amounts of chakra, which bear consciousness and personalities, and as such, cannot be "killed" by conventional means. But humanity found another way to harness them; they sealed them, at first inside grown people, but it became apparent that only a baby's unformed chakra coils could grow with the strain of the bijuu sealed within them. On the 10th of October, six years ago, your parents sacrificed their own lives not only to protect you, but to seal him within a newborn baby; but not any baby; your mother would not stand the thought of using another parent's child without offering up her own, against her firm will that you would not suffer the same way that she did." Rikuto broke the news, murmuring to the boy, who shook with shock and threatening tears.

"It's okay, Naruto. Cry, let it out. You've done amazingly well so far, but now I'm here, and there's no way in hell am I letting you be on your own any longer. I promise, and I never break my word to anyone." Rikuto said firmly.  
Naruto's eyes shot wide, and grabbed onto Rikuto's midsection, finally releasing the pent up torrent of emotions that he had deemed worthless and had supressed them until now.

After several minutes, and having cried himself hoarse, Naruto fell into a blissful sleep, leaving Rikuto to lay him down and cover him before he padded out of the room, leaving him to rest. The next couple of days were going to be big.

* * *

Uzumaki Rikuto and Sarutobi Hiruzen walked side by side to the Konohagakure Council Chambers, not needing to share a word.  
Hiruzen had tried to listen in on their conversation, but was unfortunately blocked by Rikuto's privacy seal, and had assumed that the boy now knew what he held and at least who one of his parents were.  
Rikuto kept his expression neutral, but walked slightly slower than Hiruzen, allowing the elder man to lead the way, although he could feel the tense aura rolling off him in droves, causing him to smile slightly. '_He has no idea what I've told the boy so far. This meeting will be interesting, say the least._' Rikuto frowned inwardly.

Rikuto entered the council room, to find three tables; one on the left for the Shinobi Council, whom had already seated themselves; the right side being for the Civilian Council, who looked at Rikuto with unmasked curiosity; and finally an elevated table for the Hokage and three seats for the Elders.  
Hiruzen took his place, and opened the meeting.  
"Council of Konohagakure. This meeting has been called by the newest Clan Head of Konoha; Uzumaki Rikuto, of the Uzumaki Clan, hailing from the once Uzushiogakure. He has the floor."  
Immediately, the Civilian side of the council burst out into raucous shouting and questioning, whilst the Shinobi side of the council sat in shock, however the older members had somewhat expected this, seeing Rikuto's inherent Uzumaki traits.  
Getting rather irritated, Rikuto released his hold over his chakra, instantly dumping the room with an incredibly oppressive aura, weighing them all down with imperial force, and most importantly, silenced the Civilian side immediately, most by passing out. Satisfied, Rikuto reigned in his chakra and tethered it once more, relieving the room of his pressure.

Danzō, however, was floorstruck. '_This young man, such powerful presence! He is most definitely pure-blooded Uzumaki, only Mito could level a room with just her chakra like this!_'  
As he began to contemplate machinations to possibly bring this man into his overall plans and under his control, Rikuto began his address.

"Honourable Council, I present myself as named: Uzumaki Rikuto. As of this moment, I am registered Konohagakure shinobi; Tokubetsu Jōnin and Clan Head of the Uzumaki." He bowed, and allowing a moment for this information to settle, he spoke again before he could be interrupted.  
"If Hokage-sama could sponsor and valiate my claim to Clan Head?"

Hiruzen watched in restrained awe. '_He didn't unleash his chakra like this before when we sparred! That was just like being around Kushina when she was furious!_'  
"I, as Sandaime Hokage, sponsor and validate Rikuto-san's claim to the Clan Head position of the now reinstated Uzumaki Clan. You may take the previously ceremonial seat." Hiruzen gestured to the empty seat that resided next to the similarly empty Senju seat, and next to the also empty Uchiha seat.

Once he had reached the seat, he did not sit down, instead he cleared his throat, indicating he wished to keep speaking. Hiruzen nodded, and Rikuto took a deep breath, ready to unleash his chakra once more should he need to.  
"Council, as Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan, I now lay claim to guardianship of one Uzumaki Naruto. I have verified his bloodline through his chakra and physical characteristics." Rikuto intoned, now crossing his arms, as if awaiting an onslaught, which he received.  
An uproar issued from both sides of the council. The Civilians were screaming about the 'demon' having a Clan, and the Shinobi side demanded to know why they hadn't been informed of this sooner.

At the same moment, both Hiruzen and Rikuto unleashed their respective chakra; they both bore down with such force that the entire Civilian side slumped into unconsciousness and the distinctive smell of urine wafted over soon after, and ones such as Inuzuka Tsume dropped to their seats under the pressure of two such powerful energies.  
Seeing that their goal had been accomplished, both shinobi reigned in their chakra and sat down.

"All those for the legal adoption of Uzumaki Naruto into the Uzumaki Clan under Uzumaki Rikuto?" Hiruzen asked, and all hands from the Shinobi side were raised, including, surprisingly Danzō.  
"All those against?"  
Koharu and Homura raised their hands.  
"And those abstained?" Rikuto then raised his hand, as due from the member who raised the motion.  
"As those votes for outweigh the votes against even barely, the motion is passed. Effective immediately Uzumaki Naruto is under the guardianship of Uzumaki Rikuto." Hiruzen gloated, finally having pushed the council into having the boy adopted without having shown favouritism.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama. There is one more motion that I wish to propose, but, as it now strictly involves my clan, which is a recognised Shinobi Clan, I humbly request that the Civilian Side is not present." Rikuto requested, glancing at the Civilian side before needlessly imploring the Hokage with a look.

The Civilian Side was speechless. Here comes this boy, and he dares to level his chakra at them not once, but twice! And now he wants them out of the chamber?! Oh, he had marked himself, alright!  
Hiruzen was still internally gloating. Oh, he liked this young man, that was for sure.  
"As Hokage, and pursuant to the Code, I now ask that the Civilian Council vacate the chambers immediately. Thank you for attending, honourable council members." He kept his voice and mannerisms controlled, but skilled sensors such as Rikuto could feel the underlying sense of victory over the exiting council members.

"Now," the Hokage turned to a standing Rikuto. "What was it that you needed those buffoons out of here for?" He asked, allowing a smirk at the reactions of the Shinobi council.  
Rikuto cleared his throat, this was going to be a risky venture. "Council members, I recognise that Uzumaki Naruto was the child of one Uzumaki Kushina. Her assets are those of the Uzumaki Clan, and as how Clan Head, I move to seize control of said assets, including the residence of Uzumaki Kushina, to serve as a temporary Clan Compound and new residence for myself and Uzumaki Naruto. Hokage-sama, if you will?" He gestured to the man to start a vote.

"If I may?" Danzō had been suspiciously silent throughout the exchange, but the fact that he had decided to speak set some on edge.  
Upon receiving a nod from Hiruzen, he continued. "As the declared Clan Head of the Uzumaki, you now already have control of all recognised Uzumaki Clan assets, such as the residence of Uzumaki Kushina. As such," he said, quickly drawing up an order, folding it and sealing it, he handed the sealed document to Rikuto before continuing, "This document will allow you to collect the deeds to the property, although I doubt there are even keys. As a blood relative, either yours or your charge's blood will grant you access."  
Rikuto bowed. "Thankyou, Elder Danzō. I will take care of the matters after the council has been concluded."  
Hiruzen saw the opportunity and took it. "If there are no other matters to be risen?" He cast a look around the room before banging the gavel. "This meeting is concluded. Thank you for attending."

After collecting the deeds from the Konoha Archive Office, Rikuto proceeded to go to the hospital to retrieve Naruto.  
As he entered, the same secretary was working, so he sent her withering glare before continuing on to his cousin's room.

* * *

Naruto had been awake for some time now, just thinking. He knew he'd fallen asleep while crying for the first time in a very long time. It had been his cousin Rikuto that had allowed him to feel again. Speaking of him, he could feel his tell-tale monstrous yet benign chakra signature approaching from a distance. He smiled, perhaps he was here to take him out of the hospital? He hated it there, the smell and the stark aura of duty, and nothing more given to him.

Opening the door to Naruto's room, he was greeted with a megawatt smile and a boy rushing over to him and wrapping his skinny arms around his legs.  
"Rikuto-niisan!" Naruto cried, releasing him from the hug, but looking down sheepishly. "That's okay if I can call you that, right? Are we going out of here? It smells bad and the doctors don't like me!" Naruto complained, crossing his arms whilst pouting.  
Rikuto just laughed, much to Naruto's chagrin. "Hey, don't laugh, it's bad in here!" He grumbled, looking away.  
Rikuto ruffled Naruto's own mop of blood red hair, and grabbed the boy, to put him on his shoulders. "Hold on tight, kiddo." He warned, before walking out the door, but ducking to avoid hitting Naruto's head on the doorframe.

"So I went to the Council today, and we're a Clan now, Naruto! I also got your mother's house, so we can live there now." He told the boy, looking up to see another grin.  
"Really?! I won't have to live in that grubby apartment anymore? That's awesome, -ttebayo'!" He made a fist and pumped the air, meanwhile Rikuto nearly facepalmed. '_He just _had _to inherit Kushina-neechan's verbal tic, didn't he? Oh man…_' He groaned internally, dreading if he somehow caught onto it.  
After filling out the forms to discharge Naruto from the hospital as his now legal guardian, they walked out of the building, only for Rikuto to halt in stride all of a sudden, making poor Naruto fold over his head.  
"Hey! What'cha stop for, niisan?" He demanded. Rikuto chuckled sheepishly in response.  
"I, uhh, may have forgotten to ask the Archive staff where your mother's house was…" Rikuto sighed exasperatedly. "Hey kiddo, hold on. We're going to Shunshin."  
"Oh, okay, what's tha-?"


	4. Chapter 4: Bonding and the Royal Summons

**Author's Note:** In this chapter, we've got some more character bonding time, and some good ol' sealing and fighting. Can't get enough of that, right? There's also a 2 year timeskip, I didn't want to burden you all with repetitive eating, shitting, pissing, sealing, sleeping routines. I'll probably feature some omake segments from either Naruto's antics or Rikuto's C-ranks.

Again, I don't own the goddamn series, but really, why do I bother saying this? If I did own it, I wouldn't be posting _fanfiction_, it would be _fiction_, for fuck's sake.

Okay, story time!

* * *

"You bastard! Why did you do that?" Naruto swore, his head reeling sickeningly, clutching onto Rikuto's own head for dear life.

"I did warn you, squirt. And language! Ah, right." He reminded himself, after whacking Naruto across the head, and knocking on the Hokage's door. Hearing a terse "Enter." He did as such, opening the doors and poking his head in demurely.  
"Hokage-sama, I forgot to ask about my new residence…" He chuckled, and ignored Naruto's muttering of "Idiot niisan."  
Hiruzen just laughed at the Uzumaki's misfortune. "Ah, Rikuto-kun. You're more Uzumaki than you realise! The now Uzumaki Clan Compound is two blocks South of Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, and two streets before the Hyuuga Clan Compounds. That should help you, Rikuto-kun. I'm afraid I'll have to get back to my paperwork, though. Off with you two!" Hiruzen made a mock shooing gesture, and the Uzumaki cousins took the hint and Rikuto vanished once more in a Shunshin, landing in the street where there was a fairly large mansion with several smaller residences dotted around it. However the compound was surrounded by a stone perimeter, with complex seals etched and glowing with self-sustaining chakra, around the residence.

"Hmm. I wonder if my blood will work…" Rikuto mused out loud, cutting his thumb on his teeth, and swiping his bloodied digit across the blood seal.  
It glowed green, and the matrix that spanned the entrance stopped glowing, allowing them entrance. "Huh, so I must be related directly to Mito, then. That's quite amazing." He mused, now walking up to the main house, and awed at its size.  
Gently placing Naruto back on the ground so that he could explore on his own, which he began by running off and shouting when he found a large room or something, Rikuto just headed on upstairs, marvelling at how the place was still very opulently furnished, yet there were no personal belongings anywhere. Finally he reached his destination – the master bedroom.  
Slowly entering the room, almost being reverent – after all, this was last used by a true-blooded Uzumaki like himself – he padded around, through the large bedroom, poked his head into the modest walk-in wardrobe, and out onto the balcony which overlooked the training fields, which in the setting sun, looked beautiful. Sighing contently, he closed the doors to the bedroom on his way out, and went off to find Naruto, only to walk in on him spreadeagled on the bed, grinning from ear to ear.  
"Say, nii-san, this is my bedroom, right?" He asked, sitting up with the most innocent questioning look Rikuto had ever seen. Leaning against the doorway, he couldn't help but smile.  
"Of course. You picked this one, so it's yours, okay? In the next couple of weeks we'll get your own furniture, once I get some income from doing missions and the like."

"Wait, you're a ninja? Since when?!" Naruto demanded, crawling forward on the bed on all fours, violet eyes wide.  
Rikuto chuckled, vanishing and scaring Naruto when he put his hand on his shoulder, now sitting on the bed beside him.  
"Whoa! Can you teach me how to do that? Now that we're living together, why don't you teach me fuuinjutsu too?" Naruto rattled off, clearly getting very excited at the prospect of someone teaching him.  
Rikuto's eyes hardened. "I refuse to teach you any of the ninja arts until you start the academy, but before then, I don't see why I can't teach you sealing. In fact, I started when I was a year younger than you are. But, given your drive to learn, it won't harm your development too much…" He mused to himself.

"Uzumaki Naruto. The art of sealing is a very, very dangerous art. You must wield it with precision, skill and with the determination of an unwavering hand, even if an explosive tag should blow in your vicinity, your focus will not waver. This, I will teach you. In time, I will introduce you to the arts of the shinobi, including the weapon that is your chakra itself. It's not going to be easy, and at times you won't see any improvement or will want to give up." Naruto's jaw clenched, but he remained silent.  
Satisfied, Rikuto continued. "With the Uzumaki blood in your veins, you will become a target, and I will make you strong enough to protect yourself. Until then, I'll protect you with my life, as you are one of my clansmen. Are you ready?"

Naruto's eyes gleamed, and he grinned wildly. "You bet, nii-san!"

* * *

Over the past week, Rikuto would leave out basic calligraphy lessons for Naruto to work on at his leisure, while he himself was out on missions, starting with some simple C-ranks with a chūnin partner that was simply tasked to document his behaviours.  
At the end of the week, Rikuto was satisfied with Naruto's handwriting, and stepped him up to the next exercise, which was writing out several combinations of common kanji with time limits.

This challenge Naruto took up with vigour. One afternoon, whilst he was in the middle of one of these, he felt a presence approach, one that he was very familiar with. Over the past week, he had also discovered what Rikuto called "**Mind's Eye of the Kagura**", an Uzumaki ability that was quite rare, although Rikuto also had it himself. It was a very high calibre sensing ability, and he was working on it. Using this, he felt Rikuto's chakra signature; it felt rough, larger than life, yet dextrous, and supple. Underneath those things, however, Naruto could feel the deep compassion that Rikuto held, and the strength that it gave him.  
Smiling and turning around to the open window, Naruto saw him crouching on the sill, regarding him owlishly.

"You got distracted by the Mind's Eye again, didn't you?" Rikuto sighed, landing on the floor. His outfit hadn't changed much, except he now wore a Konoha hitae-ate on his right arm, attached to a black cloth.  
Naruto slumped. "I know! It's just… I'm so aware of everything, and it's so… It feels so good to just feel everything around me, I lose track! I can't be writing these and ignoring things around me, it's like trying to look two ways at once!" He ranted, pulling at his hair. "I don't get it!"

Rikuto looked on, concerned. He himself had had the same problem, being both blessed and cursed by the Mind's Eye of the Kagura ability. While remaining so connected with the flow of life around him, it was incredibly difficult to maintain the level of focus that fuuinjutsu required.

"Naruto, I have a solution, one that I used myself, when I was your age. You see, I had the exact same problem that you do. I'm going to try something, and see if it works." Rikuto clapped his hands together, and sitting cross-legged across from Naruto, he ran through a few handseals before slapping a hand to the floor, and a chakra suppressant seal array spewed forth, and surrounded them both.  
Instantly, Naruto couldn't feel his chakra nearly as much as before, and he felt… Quiet, like he couldn't feel- He couldn't feel everything. He looked up, smiling at Rikuto.  
"I figured as much. It seems that I'm going to have to show you the first steps to shinobi training after all; chakra control. Once you can control your own chakra, you can suppress your Mind's Eye ability momentarily in order to write out seals. Once you're done, you can then reactivate it. We're one of very few Uzumaki who have this ability running passively. Many members who have this ability have to consciously activate it and sustain it to use it."

"But," he continued, "that's not a bad thing at all. It means that you'll likely fare a lot better as a shinobi, simply because people cannot hide from you." Rikuto grinned. "It's great for playing mind-games. I'm a little sadistic when it comes to that." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  
"Anyway, it's time to get you trained, squirt!" He ruffled Naruto's hair and smiled at his indignant shout, he dispelled the sealing array. Ignoring Naruto's gasp as his sensing returned, he led him outside for some chakra training.

* * *

**Time Skip: 2 years later.**

Uzumaki Naruto sat slumped over his desk at the back of the Academy classroom, trying not to fall asleep, as he absently drew storage seal matrixes all over the back of his completed test papers. They wouldn't work, as they weren't made from blood-infused ink, nor were they chakra constructs, like Rikuto-niisan's seals were.  
Speaking of him, he was now a full jōnin, having passed his probationary period and had trained two teams of fresh genin, most of which now were chūnin shinobi, save for two that needed to retake the exams next time they were on in a non-hostile village. Rikuto had also unlocked another ability of the Uzumaki, one that the Hokage had said his mother possessed: chakra chains. Or, more to speak the ability to mold chakra so dense that it became tangible. With this, Rikuto could create constructs and use them in battle, proving a large help to earn his jōnin title.

Naruto himself hadn't been a slouch; he was now a level 4 seal master out of 10, and had mastered the B-rank kinjutsu, **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, (Shadow Clone Technique) as a replacement for the standard **Bunshin no Jutsu** (You Should Be Able to Remember This no Jutsu) that Rikuto had taught him. He also had a very impressive control over his chakra for someone his age and chakra reserves, being able to shut off his Mind's Eye of the Kagura for a record of 5 minutes and 43 seconds, enough to write out a B-rank seal, according to Rikuto.  
His clothing choice had also changed; now opting to dress like his cousin, he wore black shinobi sandals, simple black shinobi pants with orange motifs, and a simple orange T-shirt with the Uzumaki clan symbol in black and white. Being an academy student and not being allowed to carry weapons, he couldn't mimic his role model any further.  
He was cut off from his musing by a rather loud shout. "Naruto! What was one of the most dangerous jutsu used by the Nidaime Hokage?"  
Naruto looked up blearily, his red hair in a disarray and eyes unfocused. "Wha…" He mumbled, before Iruka used his Big Head technique to startle him awake further.  
"I- Uhh, **Suiton: Suishōha**!" Naruto remembered quite clearly, as Rikuto had given him a demonstration after Naruto had reported what he'd learnt that day.  
"Hmph. Don't sleep in class, it's disrespectful!" Iruka chastised, moving on to collecting papers and passing them off to be marked, just as the bell rang, and the students cleared the room faster than the Inuzuka dogs released first thing in the morning.

Rikuto was, as often as he could, waiting outside for the young redhead to emerge. Grinning when he caught sight of his beloved cousin, they fistbumped and at the moment of contact, Rikuto used his Shunshin to take them back to the Uzumaki Compound.  
There, much to Naruto's confusion, was the Hokage and a man he hadn't met, but had a fair idea that he should know who he was; he had long white spiky hair, wore a horned hitae-ate that had a kanji for 'oil' on it, red lines running from underneath his eyes, and wore a green short shirt kimono and matching pants; under which he wore mesh armour that showed out of the sleeves and legs of his outfit. His outfit was completed with hand guards, a simple black belt, geta, a red haori with two simple yellow circles on each side, and a large scroll hanging from his lower back.  
After assessing this man's appearance, Naruto knew just who this was, but it only served to further his confusion. 'What is someone like one of the three Sannin doing here?'

Rikuto bowed, and nudged Naruto to do the same. "Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama. Welcome to the Uzumaki Compound. Please follow us in, I'll get some leftover cake and we'll talk over drinks." Rikuto motioned towards the door.  
Once the tea had been served and cake had been devoured by Naruto, Rikuto cleared his throat.  
"So, what brings you here, Jiraiya-sama? Certainly not visiting someone that you have obligations to, no?" Rikuto's tone was sharp, and his glare deadlier.  
Jiraiya, for his part, remained silent, but marvelled at the KI that this young man was leaking. His full intent would be impressive for someone his age, judging by the potency of his unintentional leak.  
Naruto's hands were shaking, and a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. He'd only felt Rikuto-niisan this angry once, it was the day that he'd adopted him into his own clan, and saved him from the village's clutches.  
Rikuto noticed this, and clamped a hold on his leaking KI, putting a comforting arm around Naruto's shoulders. "Hey, sorry kiddo. Didn't mean to frighten you like that."  
Comforted by the hug, and his soft words, Naruto's shaking stopped, and he smiled at him in response. "You idiot." He mumbled, pouting with his arms crossed.

"Jokes aside, we are here for a very good reason. Daimyo-sama has heard of your existence. He requests that you present yourself and your charge here to him so that he may meet the next Clan Head." Hiruzen explained, reaching towards his pipe before Rikuto cleared his throat. "And I request that you don't smoke within the building, Hokage-sama."  
Pausing for a moment, he put it away within his robes, as Jiraiya spoke up for the first time.

"He's basically dragging you to the palace to make a show out of you. This is a huge problem; it'll put you on the spotlight for the world to see, in the form of gossip, and the perpetual threat of court spies. If anything sensei has told me about your abilities, I have utmost faith in your ability to protect Naruto, but should it come to that, I doubt you'll care too much about collateral damage, being an Uzumaki and all."  
Rikuto held up both hands in mock surrender. "Guilty as charged. Anyone who so much as points a blade in his general direction will have said blade stabbed through their asses."

Jiraiya smiled. "Well then, that's comforting, at least. But that's not why I'm here, per se. I'm here as your official escort. Sensei here is pulling the big guns purely because you two are currently the last known Uzumaki, and the last alive that bear the blood so true. Thus, Konoha cannot afford to risk your bloodline, with both of you being males and all. That, my friend, is another matter that you'll have to take up in your own time." Jiraiya suddenly sported a lecherous grin. "And do tell me about it all!" He smiled dreamily, before being brought harshly back to reality by an irate Hokage.

"Act the part, Jiraiya-kun! Ah, Rikuto-kun, he's summoned the both of you in two weeks' time, which is plenty of time to get stocked, and verse yourself on politics. As a Clan Head of Konohagakure, it is not unseemly at all for the Daimyo to have direct conversation with you, on occasions such as this. You had best know what you're up to." Hiruzen warned, before standing and straightening his robes.

"Actually, Jiraiya-sama, I must ask that we spar, outside. It would be a great opportunity for me to dish out some anger that I'm carefully controlling. I won't be able to do much, but you'll get where I'm coming from, given that your bones aren't creaking too much today." Rikuto sighed, crossing his arms.  
Naruto was about to pipe up and confirm what Rikuto was saying, before he sat right back down at the level of KI that Jiraiya was emitting.  
Rikuto opened his eyes to see a kunai aimed right between his eyes. "Wanna finish that, brat? Outside!" Jiraiya growled, grabbing Rikuto by the collar and disappearing outside via Shunshin.

Hiruzen sighed resignedly. "Well, Naruto-kun, we'd better follow them to make sure they don't wreck the place. Your cousin sure does know how to get a fight out of people, doesn't he?"  
Naruto laughed and nodded, and widened his eyes upon seeing Hiruzen reach for his shoulder. "You're not gunna-"

"Ack! Surprise Shunshins are a bad time, I thought I already whined about this!" Naruto complained petulantly, but soon ducked under a flaming glob of oil that would have fried him.  
Over to where Rikuto was "venting" on Jiraiya for abandoning Naruto to the village, the latter was getting more and more surprised at how well the redhead was faring.  
His taijutsu was simply superb; his style was quick, fluid and delivered sharp, painful hits and kicks to softer areas on the body. But having trained with Minato in a similar style, he knew how to counter and as such Rikuto was having trouble getting any hits on the Sannin.  
Deciding that taijutsu was a dead end, he jumped back, and ran though several handseals, and surged his chakra so much it cracked the ground, before shouting: "**Suiton: Baku Suishōha!**" (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave) and expelling incredible amounts of water from his mouth, before the water rushed at Jiraiya in waves at high speeds, threatening to flatten the Sannin if he didn't move or protect himself.  
Jiraiya also blurred through seals, before creating a **Doton: Doryūheki** to block the wave, although the wall cracked in some places, but held.

The aftermath of the technique was an artificial pool, held in by the array of barrier seals and suppressants that defined the training field.  
Not seeing Rikuto around anywhere, Jiraiya looked down through the water he was standing on, only to frown in surprise, for underneath him on the ground, was a modest restraining seal, made from glowing green chakra.  
"So you can create chakra construct seals, huh? Pretty advanced stuff, brat!" Jiraiya called out. "But I'm not a seal master for nothing!" He cawed, before throwing down a seal tag that broke him out of the restraining seal.

"You call yourself a seal master, but really, you have to use paper and ink? Lame!" Came Rikuto's voice, and when he turned, so did his stomach.

Rikuto came flying at Jiraiya, having used the low-level seal as a distraction to power up his new technique, unique to the Uzumaki; dense chakra constructs. His entire right arm was now coated in dense, green chakra, that was even now hardening, to form a clawed gauntlet on his hand, armoured plates on his forearm and upper arm, and a horned plate on his shoulder.

Entering a swift battle of reflexes, Rikuto switched to a stance that favoured his left side, and used his right in a mixture of slashes, thrusts, punches and swatting away Jiraiya's attacks, with the deadliness of a blade, and the safety of armour, but the nimbleness of a bare arm.  
Jiraiya, unused to tactics like this from the young man, spent the next few minutes taking hits on his arms and stomach from Rikuto's chakra gauntleted arm, whilst marvelling at the difficulty of the technique he was using.  
Now tired of being on the defensive, he stopped holding back, and sent the Uzumaki into the barrier, who slumped and groaned, letting his chakra gauntlet fade.

"Wow, brat. Chakra is incredibly difficult, near on impossible to control once it leaves the body. I look forward to what you can accomplish once you train more with it." Jiraiya said, offering a hand to Rikuto, who simply got up and went to walk right past him, but paused.  
"Don't think that because we had a spar and you handed out some paltry compliments that I'm going to ignore the fact that you ignored your godson, my clansman and cousin for six years, while he was abused physically, emotionally and spiritually. You can shove that hand up your ass." Rikuto snarled, before walking back to Hiruzen and Naruto.

"Naruto, go inside and keep working on your barrier exercises. I want a stable barrier up by the time we leave for the Daimyo's Palace, you hear me?" Rikuto shooed Naruto off towards the mansion.  
"Sure, Rikuto-nii!" He chirped, running off.

"Do you really think that having this sort of tension before I'm protecting you is such a good idea, brat?" Jiraiya asked, leaning against a nearby tree.  
"I think that it's important that you know exactly what I think of you. I don't need your opinions on the tension that I've created by venting my anger towards you, which I rightfully have, as Naruto's Clan Head, legal guardian and cousin. You're on the mission simply as a deterrent. I won't even have to lift a finger, dear bodyguard." Rikuto spat, not even moving to face Jiraiya, but turning towards the Hokage.  
"Hokage-sama. I trust that you make your leave when you wish. I encourage you to explore the grounds, there are some wonderful spots for meditation, if you want a break from the paperwork. You are here arranging an important diplomatic escort mission, no?" Rikuto bowed, before vanishing in a shunshin.

"He's very bitter, isn't he?" Jiraiya remarked, turning to his mentor. "What's with that? I thought the Uzumaki were a rather rowdy, positive bunch, like Naruto is."  
Hiruzen sighed, and began walking. "Walk with me, Jiraiya-kun. Rikuto-kun has had a very rough beginning and has been a shinobi as long as he can remember. Shouldering the responsibility of Clan Head, and the Clan itself amongst other things, has led him to be very protective of the Uzumaki, and anything he has worked hard towards. He is very bitter towards the both of us, Jiraiya-kun. Me, for allowing him to be neglected, but has relented somewhat after I've made amends and assisted with Naruto-kun's upbringing. As for you, I know your reasons, but he doesn't. He thinks that you chose to ignore and neglect Naruto-kun out of selfishness, and yes, it's partially the reason, I know it is. He views Naruto-kun like a little brother, and will stop at nothing to protect him. That will apply to any other clansman that he finds, I fear. I fear so because of what they'll be like when within a kilometre radius of each other." Hiruzen had a laugh.

"But Jiraiya-kun, give him time. Perhaps this trip is a good opportunity to not only foster some positive relations with Naruto-kun, but to ease the negativity that Rikuto-kun holds towards you as well." Hiruzen looked into the pond that they had approached, and at the numerous koi fish that darted around beneath the glassy surface.  
"I'm old, Jiraiya-kun. Don't make my mistake, and leave negativity alone purely because you're afraid of the ramifications that come from messing with it."


	5. Chapter 5: I Will Protect You

**Author's Note:** Well I think this is my longest chapter yet. I'm working on making the chapters go on as I get more ideas. I think leaving it to a weekly or more update schedule may help me with this.

Another thing, I wanted to thank you all for your support so far! Every review, favourite and/or follow is great for me to keep writing this.

Again, I don't goddamn own any of this, apart from the Uzumaki style jutsu. I just want a little credit, yo?

* * *

The two weeks' wait for the journey passed quickly for Naruto, who'd made great progress with basic barrier seals, almost as if instinctively understanding them, much to Rikuto's glowing pleasure, finally having someone who understood just how amazing barrier seals were, and much to Naruto's confusion, spent many hours ranting about how he'd used them.

On the other hand, Rikuto had finally stabilised his chakra armour, but insisted that it wasn't yet battle-ready. He'd begun actively participating in the Council Meetings, becoming a vocal supporter of the Hokage and proving a valuable force in stabilising the balance of power on the Village Council; holding the Uzumaki seat came with a lot of political clout.

Suddenly, a very loud and very unwelcome blaring roused Rikuto from his sleep. Blearily opening his unfocused eyes, he located the source of the intrusion on his slumber, his mortal enemy, the alarm clock. Slamming a chakra reinforced fist down onto the poor little unit, it simply stopped its awful racket.  
As he slowly came to, he remembered the reinforcement seals he'd placed on it the night after he'd arrived in the Uzumaki Mansion, after he'd smashed one the next morning.

"Fucking seal reinforced fucking alarm clocks going of for fucking missions and shit…" Rikuto grumbled darkly, fumbling his way into the bathroom for a shower to hopefully wake him up.

A good 20 minutes later found Rikuto descending the stairs into the living area, to find Naruto happily crunching on cereal, already dressed and ready to go.  
"Morning, Rikuto-nii!" He chirped, muffled through a mouthful of cereal.

Throwing a dead wave and walking to the coffee machine, Naruto wasn't offended, being used to pre-coffee or pre-adrenaline Rikuto.

"So, Naruto. You ready for this? We'll be travelling at shinobi speeds, but you've mastered all of the chakra control exercises I've thrown at you so far, so you'll be fine as far as that goes. The minute you get tired, you say something, alright? That's an order. I'll carry you from there. We can't afford to seem anything but bright and bushy tailed; it's the Daimyo we're presenting ourselves to here." Rikuto mumbled, gingerly nursing his coffee as he slowly came to life.

"Sure, nii-san. So, when do we leave? Will we see the castle? Will there be princesses, and we'll save 'em?" Naruto bounced up and down eagerly. "Let's go!" He cried, only to be caught by the back of his shirt by Rikuto, then dragged back to the table.

"Sit down, will ya? You haven't even finished your cereal." Rikuto sighed, palming his face. "Basically what we're doing, is going to see the Daimyo, and getting his formal endorsement to settle in Hi no Kuni, or more specifically, Konoha. With his approval, we'll be on equal grounds with the other shinobi clans, and in a much better situation. On the other hand, it'll raise our profile way too high. We'll be targeted simply because of the hair we have, and the blood that runs through our veins." Rikuto sighed, glancing at Naruto who seemed to have sobered to the situation, and began to look worried.

Rikuto reached across and ruffled the young boy's hair, much to the latter's ire. "Don't touch the do, nii-san! It's messy enough as it is!" He whined.  
"Naruto, you know I'll protect you with everything I have, right?" He asked, looking directly at him.  
Naruto just nodded, to which Rikuto smiled. "Good. Go on squirt, get your stuff, we're leaving for the Hokage's Office." Rikuto grabbed his coffee mug and giving it a quick wash, dumped it in the drying rack.

* * *

Less than 30 seconds later, Naruto came barrelling down the stairs, only for his face to fall in dread as Rikuto's arms awaited him at the base.  
"No no no no no you'areeennnntttt-" Naruto yelled, only to vanish with Rikuto in a distortion of space.

"Ugh, when will you _not_ do that? I swear it wouldn't be so bad if I could at least have some _notice_, sheesh!" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting, earning the laughter of the Hokage and some restricted chuckling from Jiraiya.

Realising where they were, Naruto straightened and gave the Hokage a loose salute. "Hokage-jiji!" He chirped, completely stumping Jiraiya and negating the previous salute entirely.

"Well, Jiraiya, Uzumaki Rikuto, Uzumaki Naruto, are you ready to embark on the A-rank mission to the Royal Palace?" Hiruzen asked, now serious and meaning business.  
"A-rank, jiji?" Naruto asked, clearly confused, if his cocked head and narrowed brows weren't anything to go by. "Isn't this just an escort mission, sorta?" He elaborated, tilting his head further.

"You'll likely encounter fairly dangerous shinobi whilst on this mission, Naruto-kun, simply because they're hunting you. I trust Rikuto-kun has been over this with you?" Hiruzen looked to Rikuto, and upon receiving a nod in the affirmative, continued.

"As for that reason, I've assigned this as an A-rank mission. Uzumaki Naruto, you are to stay with Uzumaki Rikuto at all times, and to follow his orders. Uzumaki Rikuto, I'm assigning you the leader of this mission, as it is for your Clan that you do this. That said, I encourage you to take counsel from Jiraiya. He's been at this longer than you've been alive." Hiruzen winked, and had to suppress a laugh at the indignant look on Jiraiya's face.

"Now off with you! Get this crap over with so that I can get you back to fixing our seals, you three! Yes Naruto-kun, when Rikuto-kun here says you're ready, I'll put you to work, so you can earn some of your own money, how'd you like that?" Hiruzen asked, glancing at Rikuto who gave Naruto an encouraging nod.

"Sure, Hokage-jiji!" He pumped the air. "Let's go!"

* * *

It had been several hours since the small group had left Konoha, and Naruto was engrossed in a scroll regarding preservative properties of seals, and was completely oblivious to the outside world save for miraculously navigating the tree branches, leaving Jiraiya and Rikuto in an awkward silence.

"Jiraiya-dono, I trust you know about the unintended pitstop that I have to make?" Rikuto yawned, subtly tapping his leg three times.  
Understanding the message, he smirked. _'So the kid has some idea, after all.'_

After grabbing Naruto and slapping the ground with his other hand to lock him in a barrier, Rikuto vanished in a whirl of speed, only to appear on the other side of a tree several metres away, hanging from a branch from his feet, and Ryuuringan eyes glowing a menacing green, behind a crouched assassin who upon feeling his barely concealed presence, turned around and froze in pure fear.

"**Tsukuyomi**."

_The man stood alone, on a plane of white and a grey 'sky' that stretched off infinitely in all directions._

_"Welcome, to my world where I control everything. Time, space, perception of all things, including, most importantly… Pain." Rikuto hissed, phasing into view, Ryuuringan eyes spinning furiously.  
"You made the foolish mistake of coming after either myself or my clansman. For that, I doubt you'll last long here."_

_Rikuto placed a hand on the hilt that protruded from behind his shoulder, and in a flash of green, he'd drawn it, jabbed out both of the assassin's eyes, and slashed across his stomach, leaving the man to collapse in agony, whilst roaring out his pain, gritting his teeth through the blood now pouring down his face, and the intense searing pain that came from his stomach leaking it's acids into his body._

_Then, came a slow whisper. "Retrieve your comrades, and leave this place, if they're still alive. Do so and I will spare you."_

_And suddenly, the man found himself yet again in a plane of white and the grey 'sky' that stretched off infinitely in all directions._

_"Welcome, to my world where I control everything. Time, space, perception of all things, including, most importantly… Pain." Rikuto hissed, phasing into view, Ryuuringan eyes spinning furiously.  
"You made the foolish mistake of coming after either myself or my clansman. For that, I doubt you'll last long here."_

_Rikuto again placed a hand on the hilt that protruded from behind his shoulder, and in a flash of green, he'd drawn it, jabbed out both of the assassin's eyes, and slashed across his stomach, leaving the man to collapse in agony, whilst roaring out his pain, gritting his teeth through the blood now pouring down his face, and the intense searing pain that came from his stomach leaking it's acids into his body._

_Then, came a slow whisper that repeated itself with a ghastly echo. "Retrieve your comrades, and leave this place, if they're still alive. Do so and I will spare you."_

_Yet again, the scene reset itself, and played out endlessly and as the man collapsed at the resetting of the scene, Rikuto's voice came through, "That was just a second. I hope you enjoy the next 15 seconds."_

Rikuto's eyes slowed their spinning, and the dōjutsu faded from his eyes, and he slunk back behind the tree, leaving the man to gasp and claw at the tree, making weak movements towards his back pouch, eyes growing heavier by the second. At long last, he brought the whistle to his lips, and with his last breath before falling into unconsciousness, he blew.

Turning around to heed the emergency flee-on-sound whistle was the third assassin's mistake, meeting the furious eyes of Rikuto, and the ethereal chakra blade that shot from his hand, right through between his eyes and out the back of his head. As he dissipated the blade, he cursed himself.

Naruto was on his butt, shaking and staring at Rikuto as if he was Death incarnate. He flinched and went to back away as Rikuto broke the barrier, but stopped when he felt Rikuto's arms around him. Releasing his fear once he felt Rikuto's chakra, he sobbed, and gripped onto Rikuto like his life depended on it. Simply trusting that Jiraiya had dealt with the last enemy, Rikuto reigned in his chakra, and instead exuded it in calming waves, hoping to soothe the frightened redhead in his grasp.

After some moments, Naruto calmed down and sat cross-legged in front of Rikuto, with Jiraiya standing off to the side, seeing as this was a personal moment, and also fearing Rikuto would unleash those eyes on him, too. Naturally, after simply killing his assassin, he arrived to see how Rikuto was faring, only to see those utterly _frightening_ eyes, piercing green, and filled with fury, not to mention the results of the man who took it head on.  
Shaking off the memory, he turned away to make some notes about adjusting the measurements in his book…

"Listen, Naruto. I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that so soon… But I'm also not sorry at all." Naruto's eyes widened at this, and he looked at Rikuto, confused.

"I'm not sorry because you've almost had your first kill, in terms of shock factor. Do you want to protect Konoha, the Uzumaki and the Will of Fire? If so, then it will become necessary to kill. I don't like doing it, but if _anyone_, and I mean _anyone_ threatens my family, my village, or anything that I swear to protect… I will kill them without hesitation. Do you know why, Naruto? Because I love my family, my new village and I do not go back on my word. I do this, because it's how I was raised to live. The Uzumaki commit to their promises, no matter what." Rikuto made a fist, and held it out to Naruto, who returned the gesture.

"What you saw then was how serious I get when someone threatens my family and my village. It was scary, wasn't it? I reacted much the same as you did, when my sensei did the same thing, protecting me. But that's a story for another time." Rikuto smiled wanly at Naruto, while standing up. He noticed Naruto was still a bit shaky, so he wordlessly knelt, and placed his hands behind his back, offering for a ride.

Naruto couldn't bring himself to refuse on principle of his pride. He was truly shaken to the core; he'd felt Rikuto-nii's KI before, back when he'd first met Jiraiya, but this was nothing like what he'd experienced back then. This was pure, unadulterated KI, and it terrified him. He felt when Rikuto used his eyes on the first man; he could feel the utter hopelessness and terror, and he saw and felt the utter cold fury in the redheaded man when he sent a chakra sword straight through the second enemy's head.

It was paralysing fear that gripped him and made him irrationally fear his cousin when he came to free him from the barrier, and he cursed. He'd have to get a hold of himself, and become as strong as Rikuto-nii! '_I swear! And Uzumaki Clan members commit to their promises, no matter what!'_

Steeling himself to his newfound resolve, Naruto smiled and gladly climbed onto Rikuto, gripping him and his warm, protective chakra, soon falling asleep.

Rikuto, feeling Naruto's chakra stabilise and then seemingly bolster, smiled. He turned to Jiraiya, to find the man looking forward, lost in thought. Deciding now was the time to leave, he called Jiraiya with a quick whisper of his name and leapt to the trees.

A couple of hours later, Jiraiya felt that they were safe, and so he turned a questioning look to Rikuto, who nodded, and crouched to a stop on a tree branch, with his eyes closed. After a few moments, Rikuto opened his eyes and stood, still carrying a blissfully asleep Naruto.

"We're alone, and there's not another human around for at least 10 kilometres." He murmured, motioning to the base of the tree which had sufficient room for three sleeping bags and a small fire.

"Down there looks good." He left no room for argument, simply stepping off the branch and strolling down the trunk, and jumping off the last couple of metres. The landing startled Naruto awake, who gripped Rikuto tightly until he figured out that he was still with the two men.

"We're going to stop here for the night, Naruto. Come on, get your camping gear out so you can sleep. Here, I'll help you." Rikuto crouched in front of Naruto, pulling out his supply scroll to unseal his belongings for him.

As this was happening, Jiraiya, who'd already set up his equipment, sat and watched pensively. '_The young man really does care a lot for the brat. Already I can see the results from some of the training he's started him on, fūinjutsu being the beginning… But even in his tired state, I can see the kid keeping an eye on his surroundings.'_ As Jiraiya mused, he'd realised that Naruto had already fallen asleep, and Rikuto was meditating.

"Finally snap out of your daydream there, _bodyguard_? You're not much use if you're not alert. Relying on my sensory abilities will get you nowhere." Rikuto pointedly remarked, before turning to face Jiraiya.  
"You take first watch. Wake me up in four hours." Rikuto turned, and wrapped himself in his sleeping bag, quickly falling asleep, yet still maintaining a subconscious sensory field, as any sensor worth their salt does.

"Tch. Not like I was going to get any sleep regardless." Jiraiya muttered, before adjusting his seating to be more comfortable, and leant back against another tree trunk.

Soon enough, Rikuto's eyes snapped open when he felt Jiraiya approach.

"I'm awake. Take your rest, we leave in another 4 hours." Rikuto murmured, getting up to resume the watch. Jiraiya, not one to argue when presented with sleep, dismissed the notion of provoking the redhead and simply went to sleep, albeit rather disgruntled at being ordered around, even if it was by the "client" so to speak.

Jiraiya awoke to a hand on his shoulder, and like Rikuto had done, snapped awake instantly and began packing his things. Naruto, on the other hand, took a bit longer to wake, from obvious lack of field experience that Jiraiya had in spades, and Rikuto had a respectable amount of, considering his age.

Sitting upright but obviously bleary from the previous day's events, Naruto slowly came to, and began sealing his things away into his equipment scroll, they had a light breakfast of rations and water, before taking off, this time Naruto firmly insisting on making the journey himself. Approving, Rikuto turned and leapt to the trees with Jiraiya and Naruto in his wake.

After a few hours, Rikuto signalled them to stop, and turned to them with a serious expression.

"We're around a half hour's travel distance from the Royal Palace. Naruto, best behaviour, constantly. Don't relax. Before you complain, we're technically in friendly territory, however," he paused, making sure he had Naruto's full attention, "We're also under great danger. There will be forces at play here that want us gone so that we don't cause any more trouble. They could be external, or internal, be from the village, or from Daimyo-sama's own court. Naruto, I'm really serious here, I need you to stay with me at all times, or Jiraiya here. If you see any hot springs, run off and find me immediately. You're a sensor, so you can find my chakra." Rikuto instructed, gripping Naruto's shoulder to make sure he grasped the importance of what he was saying.

"I understand, nii-san." Naruto was solemn; he was old enough to understand that as the possible last known Uzumaki, their lives were in great peril out in the open like this. It made him inch closer to Rikuto without intending to.

Satisfied, Rikuto turned to Jiraiya for his input. "Your thoughts, Jiraiya?" He asked stiffly. He may have detested the man, but he had to respect his superior experience in situations such as this.

Jiraiya thought for a moment. "You're fairly spot on, actually. Although I would advise discretion, especially when pointing factors back to the village. Some may interpret that in ways that you may not like the results of."

Rikuto nodded, accepting the criticism. "Then let's go, gentlemen. Daimyo-sama is awaiting our arrival. Naruto, let's change. Use the physical Henge, well, not that you have much choice, yet." Rikuto sheepishly chuckled at Naruto's deadpan glare.

"**Henge no Jutsu!**" Rikuto and Naruto muttered simultaneously, both shrouded by twin puffs of chakra smoke, that when they cleared, revealed Naruto in a simple dark red kimono, violet obi and with the Uzumaki Clan symbol on the back in black.

Rikuto wore much the same, albeit with a formal white haori similar to his usual one, also with the Uzumaki Clan symbol on the back in black, and his sword now rode on his right hip, secured by the similarly violet obi and completed with black traditional geta and white tabi.

Jiraiya whistled at the change. "Looking good, brats. Let's go."

"I'm over twenty years old, I'm not a brat. Besides, have you forgotten who the commanding officer is? And another thing – do not talk unless spoken to. You carry a high reputation, especially in Hi no Kuni as one of the Densetsu no Sannin, however this is not concerning you. I've dealt with my fair share of politics before I came to Konoha as well as the crap I've had to deal with as Clan Head once I arrived. I would appreciate it if you would comply." Rikuto turned away, and vanished, leaving Jiraiya and Naruto to catch up.

As soon as they'd done so, Jiraiya studied Rikuto intently. His demeanour had shifted somewhat over the time of the trip, and he'd been stumped as to why. The young man's icy, bitter sarcasm was gradually giving way to civility and indifference, and a hint of respect. He was confused, because he'd done nothing of the sort to try and patch things up.

Perhaps to get any closer to either of the Uzumaki cousins, he'd have to do just that, but now mid-mission was not the time, especially during an A-rank mission practically riding on his reputation and the fear it induced whilst not on the levels of his student, the Yondaime Hokage, it was still potent enough.

* * *

Just as Rikuto had said earlier, a half hour's travel soon found them at the outer entrance to the Palace proper. Slowing down to walking speed as to not arouse suspicion of attack, the group made their (much slower, to Rikuto and Jiraiya's chagrin) way to the gates.  
Presenting their papers and signing forms, Rikuto got them through and was directed to the guest wing, where they would be met by an escort, to see the Daimyo that afternoon.

"Until then, Uzumaki-sama, your party is free to roam the grounds, as long as you do not enter any forbidden areas. They will be marked as such. Good day." The guard waved them off, and turned back with a grunt to the next group to process.

Putting his arms behind his head, Jiraiya took in the familiar sights. He'd last been here on a clandestine mission to inspect some seals that a patrol reported that looked different. He'd stumbled upon a very cleverly concealed explosive array, and had to disable and remove it during the night so that rumour wouldn't spread.

Rikuto simply had his Ryuuringan activated under a genjutsu to observe and remember the layout and patterns that the guards were moving in, his eyes flickering from side to side, tomoe spinning slowly, committing every detail to memory.  
Seeing this, Jiraiya had to fight off a smirk. This guy was beginning to seem like he was worth his salt as a shinobi after all.

"I suppose seeing as we're shinobi who can actually use sealing scrolls, there's nothing to deposit in our rooms. Well, might as well look." Rikuto changed his mind, leisurely strolling towards the Castle, and eventually inside.

The palace looked absolutely monstrous in size, looming above them in all its royal grace, but when one walked inside, it was absolutely dwarfing, capitalising on one's sense that they were but an ant in comparison.

Floored with polished marble, the majestic foyer rose for several stories, allowing glimpses of the floors above. Through this space, hung many chandeliers, glistening in the morning light, majestically keeping the air of modest decorum.  
Shaking his head, Naruto tore his eyes from the sight to run after Rikuto, earning a chastising glance for not keeping up.

Soon they rounded a corner, and met a set of red, carpet-lined staircases that ascended the height of the foyer, and were visible on the scores of floors above.  
After walking up three flights, they arrived at a signposted Guest Wing, where they found their room and not a moment after the door had closed, Rikuto flashed through a series of handseals and slapped both hands to the floor.

"Wow, both hands, Rikuto-nii? Must be complex!" Naruto chirped, his legs swinging from the high bed he'd perched himself on.

Rikuto just smiled. "**Uzumaki Fūinjutsu-Ryū: Kokuangyo no Jutsu**" (Uzumaki Sealing Style: Bringer of Darkness Technique) He intoned, making the Snake seal to finish the technique.  
"Now," he grunted, getting up, "no none will be able to see, hear or even feel vibrations of what happens inside this room. However, innate sensors like Naruto and I could still have a pretty good idea on chakra signatures, that being the one weakness of this seal." Rikuto explained, looking around the moderately lavish room, decked out with three beds, each separated by a screen, and the joint area with a rather nice looking table and cushions.

"You used the name Kokuangyo in that technique, right? That's actually-" Jiraiya started to inform the redhead, but he held up a hand.

"I'm well aware of the Nidaime Hokage's infamous genjutsu, however this particular seal predates his generation entirely. It's completely coincidental, however my strongest privacy seal in my arsenal so far." Rikuto overrode him, waving off his concerns.

"Speaking of your arsenal, what type of seals do you specialise in? My student, Namikaze Minato, specialised in **jikūkan ninjutsu** (Space-Time Techniques) whereas I specialise in **kekkaijutsu** (Barrier Techniques)" Jiraiya explained, studying the redhead.

"Then I guess I'm similar to your student then. One of my goals is to create my own version of the Hiraishin, however I'm still missing some tweaks to make it… less likely to tear you a new dimension hole." Rikuto gritted his teeth. "It infuriates me. Gives me the right shits, it does." He complained, collapsing onto a bed.

Intrigued, Jiraiya sat next to him, and rolled out a scroll and took out some ink supplies. Naruto, instantly seeing that they were going to be using fūinjutsu, scrabbled over and sat cross-legged next to Jiraiya.  
"Hey Rikuto-nii, Jiraiya's got sealing stuff out!" He called, waving his arms about.

Hearing the word "sealing", like a true Uzumaki, he sat bolt upright and scanned the room. "Who sealed what now?"

Naruto burst out laughing. "You do that every time, nii-san! You're hilarious!" He barked with laughter, rolling on the floor, oblivious to Rikuto's deadpan glare.

"When you can get beyond conjuring a wall of thin chakra you little shit, you'll begin to understand my bond with my one true love, seals." Rikuto matter-of-factly explained, now sitting in a cross-legged pose across the large scroll from Jiraiya.

"What's this for?" He asked, somehow feeling more comfortable with the man, given his common obsession with sealing. A common ground is a good bridge over hostility.

Jiraiya motioned towards the ink and brush. "Go on, show me your version of Minato-kun's jutsu. Don't worry about me stealing it, I already know the basics of his technique, I just don't have the skill to pull it off, not even close. But I might be able to give you a second perspective." Jiraiya shrugged. "It's your call."

Rikuto studied the man for a moment, even going so far as to consciously narrow his Mind's Eye of the Kagura ability in on him.

Instantly, Jiraiya felt Rikuto's chakra all around him, circling, watching, and judging. And in that same instant, it vanished.

Rikuto nodded, satisfied. "You can't lie when I'm using that ability. It's probably on par with the Kyūbi's Negative Emotions Sensing, actually. Now, my own version? Well, if anything I want to name my own technique after the first one, developed by none other than my other idol, the Nidaime Hokage. He was a Space-Time master, the creator of the Edo Tensei, Hiraishin, amongst other many awe-inspiring techniques. If possible, I admire him more than the Fourth." Rikuto professed, reaching over to grab the brush, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Uzumaki-sama, I'm here to escort you to the dais. Daimyo-sama will see you shortly. I shall wait here until you are ready, sir." Came the voice of a demure young man, yet carried the haughtiness of the royal court well enough.

In a flash, Jiraiya rolled up the scroll and stashed away the supplies.

Rikuto simply rose, refreshed his Henge, which Naruto followed suit, and sighed. "Well, here it is. Come, Naruto. Together, we'll remind the world what they rightly feared. The Uzumaki are back." Rikuto's grin grew wild. "And this time there's no way we're going down."

* * *

So, as usual, tell me what you thought of the chapter, and anything that you want to pass on. Kurien, out!


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